The present invention relates to a controlling and supervising system including a network composed of a plurality of computer units, etc. The invention is useful for applications such as the automatic operation of a loom for weaving special-purpose cloth, including, for example, felt for paper-making.
In the area of fabric-weaving work on a loom, in general, less progress has yet been attained in terms of the saving of labor through the utilization of computers in comparison with other technological areas. For example, no automation has hitherto been introduced into the operation of a special loom for performing hollow weaving of such special-purpose fabrics as felt for paper-making. That is, in the conventional system, the desired production conditions are set by a worker operating an operation control panel provided for each loom. This kind of loom, moreover, is generally constructed in such a way that it performs its weaving operation with a shuttle containing a cop with weft wound around it, the shuttle being passed between the upper and lower warps. The worker must manually replace the cop from time to time as necessary and tie a new weft to the existing one so that the weft is woven in an endless state into the fabric.
The method of weaving with a worker operating the loom via an operation control panel for each loom presents a problem in that the operating efficiency is poor, and, particularly in the case of a large-size loom for performing hollow weaving of special-purpose fabrics as mentioned hereinabove, automation of the operation and control of such a loom has been desired with particular intensity.